About MHFA
About MHFA® “Mental Health First Aid training”
We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Mental ill health can strike at any time and can affect anyone. The only effective, sustainable approach to wellbeing involves the whole community.
Although things are improving, stigma still exists around mental ill health. As a society, we don’t tend to know how to take care of our mental health like we do our physical health. This means that people may not know how to support a friend, family member or colleague experiencing a mental health issue, or where to go for help with their own mental health.
In partnership with Mental Health First Aid England our MHFA training is a course which teaches people how to identify, understand, and help someone who may be experiencing poor mental health.
MHFA training won’t teach you to be a therapist, but it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis – and even potentially stop a crisis from happening.
Why a Mental Health First Aider is important
With one in six people experiencing a common mental health problem in any given week, it is more important than ever to break down stigma. MHFAiders® in the grassroots football community will help to normalise wellbeing conversations and provide support from the teenage years through to adulthood. MHFAiders will foster an increased sense of community, providing every player with a friendly, accessible point of contact whenever needed.
Being an MHFAider means;
- You’ll learn to recognise warning signs of mental ill health and develop the skills and confidence to approach and support someone while keeping yourself safe
- By becoming an MHFAider with Tackle This Together and MHFA England, you’ll have access to continuous support, so you are confident, empowered and motivated to carry out your role. You will get three years’ access to MHFAider support and benefits which includes 24/7 digital support through the MHFAider Support App®. Tackle This Together will provide you with ongoing support, exclusive resources, ongoing learning opportunities and guidance on a daily basis. Whilst you will also have the benefit of joining England’s largest community of trained MHFAiders
- You’ll gain an understanding of how to support positive wellbeing and tackle stigma in the world around you
The role of a MHFAider
MHFAiders can have a profound and positive impact on their communities.
Carrying out the role responsibly involves:
- Keeping yourself safe and well – MHFA training provides you with support and resources to ensure you set clear boundaries between yourself and individuals you may be supporting. The course also provides support on self-care and personal wellbeing
- Communicating any concerns about the mental health and wellbeing of anyone in your club, for example to a safeguarding officer
- Following your club’s policies and procedures on how MHFA is implemented
- Upholding your role as a MHFAider alongside your other responsibilities
- Refreshing your skills every three years on an MHFA Refresher course
Our Course Partners
We are honoured to be partnering with Mental Health First Aid England to facilitate our courses. They are the largest provider of mental health first aid training in England, with over 15 years of experience supporting people to create and sustain healthier communities.
Like us, their vision is to improve the mental health of the nation, and their mission is to train one in ten of the population in mental health knowledge, awareness, and skills. They want:
- A society where everyone can thrive
- Zero stigma surrounding mental health
- Mental health to be openly discussed and supported
Empowering people to have conversations about mental health with the correct knowledge and information, will help to create open and inclusive cultures, break stigma, and encourage people to proactively look after their own and others’ mental health.
Their training and courses are here to support you to manage health and wellbeing proactively, minimise the impact of mental ill health, and promote and maintain healthy communities connected to grassroots football clubs across the country.
